Destinations: The Trail to T'ai Li

August-September 1996

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Alan Wilson & Laurie MacBride

It was Sunday, nearing the end of this year's Ocean Kayak Festival, and I was down on the beach checking out boats when a fair-haired young woman approached. She introduced herself as Robyn Monk of T'ai Li Lodge on Cortes Island.

Robyn said she'd really enjoyed the Festival and offered an invitation to come to T'ai Li. I smiled politely but in the back of my mind was the thought: 'Yah right! When will I have the time?!'

However, when I mentioned it later to Laurie, we began to fantasize about a few days away... and soon had ourselves convinced.

Some days later we found ourselves northbound on the Island Highway, from Nanaimo. The drive to Campbell River was a pleasant two and a half hours with a great view of Georgia Strait and of the snowcapped mountains of Vancouver Island and the Coast Range across the Strait.

The weather was warming up and drying out for the first time this year. Both the barometer and our spirits were rising as the holiday ahead beckoned mercifully after a far too busy spring.

We met up with Steve London, T'ai Li's owner, outside a restaurant in Campbell River, welcomed by his broad bearded grin from under a baseball cap, and a firm handshake.

After a pleasant lunch with Steve and some of his family in a roof-top restaurant, we did a quick run-through the supermarket and caught the ferry to Quadra Island-the first of two ferries to reach Cortes. (Be sure to tell the ticket agent you're bound for Cortes and they'll put you in a special first-off lane).

The ferry took only 10 minutes to cross to Quadra Island, not far from where Georgia Strait funnels through infamous Seymour Narrows at up to 15 knots. We then had a 10 minute cross-island drive to Heriot Bay to reach the connecting ferry for Cortes.

Heading out of Heriot Bay past Rebecca Spit Marine Park, we saw Georgia Strait open out dramatically to starboard, leading ours eyes down into the mists of Texada Island. Somewhere about as far again to the south lay our home island of Gabriola.

To our port side, the islands Quadra and Read tumbled greenly down to the sea, with Cortes ahead, together defining the top end of the Strait.

We sat high above the water in the ferry lounge with Steve as the ferry moved through this unfolding viewscape, chatting about what had brought him to Cortes. It turned out to have been the experience on Cortes and at Hollyhock (see sidebar page 26) which helped him re-evaluate his life. Impressed with the attitudes and the values of Canadians and the lifestyle on the island, he abandoned his business career in the United States for the gentler surroundings of Cortes.

"T'ai Li is a combination of t'ai, meaning peace, and li meaning clear, vivid image. To me it stands for a peaceful mind leading to clear vision", Steve explained. We later would see how this notion has come to define his way of life. It's also the name of his 35 foot sloop on which Steve gives sailing tours and instruction. As a native New Englander and trans-Atlantic sailor, Steve has a solid maritime background and loves these waters.

The Lodge is the base of operation, with both indoor and outdoor accommodations, plus kayak rentals and expert instruction.

The paddling program is under the supervision of Christine Robinson, former co-founder of Ecomarine in Vancouver (founder of their coastal kayak school), and run by their senior instructor, Coast Guard officer Michael Moore, offering a range of paddling workshops and tours.

Arriving on Cortes we found it delightfully undeveloped, compared to the busier southern Gulf Islands. Although physically smaller than Cortes, Gabriola Island has five to six times the number of people. Here we found little traffic as we drove on narrow, twisting roadways past farms and infrequent houses, catching glimpses through the trees of lakes and harbours which define this island's convoluted coastline.

The next clue about the nature of T'ai Li came when we arrived at the small roadside sign and followed Steve's instructions to park off the road and take a trail. We hoisted our gear and set off down through the forest which opened onto a small bay. There, perched on the rocky shoreline was a simple yet graceful two-storey structure fronted with a wide deck and an expanse of windows. We noted colourful kayaks on a rack nearby.

Robyn greeted us warmly and invited us to make ourselves at home. Then she led us on a tour of the seven-acre waterfront site, along trails cut through dense undergrowth, between tall fir and arbutus trees, showing us the various sites and views up into the mountains of Desolation Sound.

Although offered a room in the lodge, we chose to stay in a spacious tent on a broad, sturdy platform set in the woods where we had the use of an attractive, cedar-enclosed washroom and solar-heated shower.

Night ...wind high above us in the trees, tiny bats wheeling around us on the beach. Warm wind rocks us to sleep in the platform tent as waves lap the rocks below.

Over the next couple of sundrenched days we relaxed and paddled, and even swam, although it was still only mid-June. The water here, like in Desolation Sound itself, is some of the warmest in the Strait.

Waking: our platform tent overlooking the water, busy squirrel below our front door, birds all around us, sun rising pink over mainland mountains. An hour later, diamond-sparkle across the water. All this without having to move anything more than my eyelids. I luxuriate, welcoming rest and beauty.

On our first day we chose kayaks from Steve's fleet and paddled to the eastern tip of the island, to Mary Point, with a magnificent view into Desolation Sound. To the south lay Hernando and Savary Islands, Mittlenatch Nature Park bird sanctuary, and the Copeland Islands Marine Park.

Desolation Sound beckoning from a couple of miles away, the broad sweep of Redonda Island and rise of Malaspina Peninsula its gateway. Warm water, mountains close, Red Granite Point casting its warm pink glow. Five hours of paddling, without any sign of another boat, or even habitation outside of Cortes Bay. Only three shellfish farmers on the beach at Tiber Bay, busy sorting and moving oysters.

The next day we explored one of the best anchorages on the coast, using a couple of the kayaks Steve has there for rent. We put in at the Gorge Harbour Marina and Resort, a long-established business with a beautifully treed, grassy setting for campers and RVers. They also have a grocery store, showers, laundry facilities, and a wonderful restaurant, The Old Floathouse. The harbour is a good paddle all itself, with small coves and islands but our plan was to paddle out to Shark Spit.

Sun-sparkle brilliance, lively dance of currents and eddies at the Gorge entrance, mottled cliffs towering above. Easy stroking as the tide moves with us, the last of the ebb, skimming us across the glassy surface. Paddling to Hawai'i: the dazzling white stretch of the Spit getting closer by the minute. Landing, we find eel grass, sand dollars, squirting clams, white shell and sand, grasses and driftwood. We watch two sailboats navigate the narrow slot of Uganda Pass; otherwise no traffic in sight. Just sunshine, islands, glimmer of sand beaches, calm water.

Shark Spit is the remarkable sand-shell point of Marina Island reaching almost to the southwest side of Cortes, located between Manson's Landing and Whaletown (where the ferry lands). The island is reputedly owned by Microsoft's Bill Gates, and the area does indeed have the look of a billionaire's paradise... although spending time here is all the wealth you really need.

Returning, we drift between small islands, skimming over a graceful kelp forest. Just inside the Gorge again, a different kind of kelp, its huge fronds sheltering crabs and tiny fish. We surprise a mink at the water's edge, encounter a deer on the rocky shore. Oh, for another day to explore this harbour in its immensity, its green and blue nooks and crannies, each cove different from the one before.

That evening Steve took us to Hollyhock for dinner, followed by a tour of the huge garden and grounds. Wandering back to the beach to gaze at the softening, pink light on that the year's longest evening, we marveled at the peace and tranquillity of the setting.

Hollyhock on solstice eve: quiet, peaceful and ever hopeful. The garden is, as I expected, amazing. Shivon guides us through long beds of herbs, artichokes and beans, squash, tomatoes, lettuces, a hundred different flowers, fruit trees, angelica as high as my waist. Fruit is already swelling on the apple trees and tomatoes. Compost piles are hot to the touch, grapevines heavy with fruit dangle through the opening of the greenhouse roof. Past the orchard, the new Sanctuary is a gnome's cottage, curved and twisting and curling out of the earth. And on the beach, that magnificent tableau of Desolation Sound, Twin Islands, Savary, Hernando and the Strait.

On our last day we hiked up nearby Easter bluff for a magnificent view to the mountains east and west, and the splay of forests, islands and waters to the south. We also visited the sandy beaches of Manson's Landing Marine Park, with its tidal lagoon and a trail to nearby Hague Lake where we found the water warmly inviting.

After a gourmet lunch at The Old Floathouse, we caught the Cortes ferry wistfully back to Campbell River and a different reality. It had only been a few days, but we felt very peaceful. And our vision was in fact a bit clearer. We at least knew we would be back.

quote on the wall at T'ai Li Lodge: "Be truthful, gentle and fearless." -m.k. gandhi

Invitation to Hollyhock On the southern tip of Cortes Island is an amazing retreat and learning center, bordering British Columbia's coastal wilderness. In an atmosphere of handcrafted wooden buildings, organic gardens, and forest trails, Hollyhock offers a variety of courses and retreats. From March to October, they hold over 70 workshops, led by world-renowned teachers. Visitors come to take part, or just to join guided bird walks, tide pool tours, strolls through old growth forest. They offer a variety of outdoor programs, including kayaking classes and sailing excursions. There is also a resident naturalist. Yoga, meditation, bodywork and massage are available, and participants enjoy gourmet meals and breathtaking views from their hot tub and beach. Since its beginnings in 1982, Hollyhock has embraced a deep respect and reverence for the land. Today, as it continues to flourish, Hollyhock builds upon that tradition, providing a healthy environment for retreat, healing, and holistic education. Hollyhock was founded by a small group of shareholders, originally as an intentional community, dedicated to serving and preserving a special and powerful place. Today, Hollyhock has evolved beyond its original calling, to an extended, global community of guests, staff, shareholders, teachers, & friends. The internal structure of Hollyhock is a combination of the old and the new. By consensus, a group of shareholders, through a board of directors, and with employee input, determine and guide the vision of the center. An executive director and core staff manage day-to-day operations and policies. Profits from the center are reinvested to continually improve Hollyhock's programming facilities and service. Contact information: Call 1-800-933-6339 or 604/935-6578 or fax 604/935-6424. Or write to Box 127, Manson's Landing, BC V0P 1K0